On-trade Accolades to Boost Chile’s Premium Wine Sales

Impressing the on-trade (wine sales in restaurants, bars, hotels and pubs) is key for getting consumers to try your premium wines. If the on-trade like what you’re doing, sales are much easier and Chile can look forward to a good push in premium wine sales from its results at this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards.

As one of the most important on-trade markers, this wine competition focuses entirely on on-trade wines and is judged by people in the trade – making it an important tool and accolade. This year, Chile’s wine industry ought to be chuffed as Chile took 5th position in the league table of awards and producers took away 69 medals, with one winery beating the international competition to Producer of the Year.

Undurraga winery in Colchagua scored 5 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze and was announced as the top Producer of the Year. “Usually the winner of Producer of the Year will pick up half a dozen medals,” explained a representative from the Sommelier Wine Awards. “The most we’ve ever had is nine [by another Chilean winery, Concha y Toro in 2011]. So to see someone breaking into double figures was always going to make them a shoo-in for this award.

“Undurraga, quite simply, blew away the competition. Ten medals, half of them Gold, is a breath taking performance, but when you add in the host of special awards it’s easy to run out of superlatives.” The winery also won special awards as Critics’ Choice for their red Aliwen Reserva blend from Rapel Valley, 1 Food Match Award, 2 By The Glass Awards, and 1 Perfect Pub Quartet Award.

Undurraga wasn’t the only winery to triumph for Chile though, many other wineries shone in the competition. Concha y Toro, which had previously won the Producer of the Year, took home a very impressive 6 awards; both vinas Errázuriz and Caliterra were given an applaudable 4 awards; Carmen was given 3 awards; and Viña Chocalan won an award for their Carmenere.

All round this was an impressive triumph for Chile in a prestigious wine awards which has a great impact on the sales of premium wines in the on trade.